Fresh produce is an essential part of the human diet. It provides many nutrients necessary to ideal health. However, the modern fast-paced lifestyle of many people has decreased consumption of such fresh produce, in favor of unhealthy, processed foods. This has created a need for fresh, safe, and readily available produce.
In recent years, there has been an increasing global trend towards the production of produce that is packaged and “Ready-to-Eat” (“RTE”) without requiring further preparation by the consumer. Prior to being displayed at market, produce must be washed, and sanitized. Dust, pesticides, and biological contamination must be removed or the produce will spoil or not be of market quality. Further, if certain biological contaminants remain on the produce—serious illness or death might result from consuming the contaminated produce.
Scientists have attempted to improve the chemicals and methods used to minimize the harmful impact on the produce and to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut or fresh-picked produce. One such scientist, Dr. John Lopes, conducted extensive research on extending the shelf life of RTE produce. Dr. Lopes revolutionized the food disinfecting and sterilizing industry in the 1990's by inventing PRO-SAN®, an anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition. The PRO-SAN® formula is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,143,720 and 5,280,042 (collectively “the PRO-SAN® Patents”). Specifically, PRO-SAN® is an anionic surfactant and acid anionic sanitizer in one. PRO-SAN® is also an effective sanitizing agent. PRO-SAN® the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition is an FDA-approved composition made from Generally Recognized as Safe (“GRAS”) ingredients that have excellent antimicrobial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria, including the common-on-food pathogens E. Coli, Staph. aureus, and salmonella. For example, research conducted on Tomatoes and Serrano Peppers, applying the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® resulted in there being up to a 3 Log reduction in salmonella on tomatoes, and up to a 4.1 Log reduction in salmonella on Serrano Peppers. The anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® was so effective that it was used by NASA's Food Technology Commercial Space Center so that astronauts would not get food poisoning in space.
Dr. John Lopes has conducted extensive research and has several patents on produce washes including PRO-SAN®, but the PRO-SAN® patents have not disclosed or claimed a process or method that uses the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® to maximize efficiency of disinfecting and sanitizing produce.
For years, the produce industry has been using some form of oxidizer sanitizer, such as chlorine dioxide, to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes without affecting taste, odor, or appearance of food. This minimal impact makes it an ideal disinfectant for RTE produce. By killing such microbes, the fresh-cut or fresh-picked produce spoils less quickly, appears fresher on the market shelf, and has a longer shelf life. Research has shown that chlorine alone can produce 1- to 2-log reduction in Microbial counts, which translates to about a one week shelf life for the fresh-cut or fresh-picked produce. A one-week shelf life is shorter than ideal and recent advances, including the present invention, extend this time-period.
The use of the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® and an oxidizer sanitizer together has a synergistic effect not previously known in the art. Together, they increase the shelf life of produce up to 3 times that of either chemical alone.
Regarding methods to pass a product through sanitation and ultimately dry and package the product, U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,739, issued to Eno (“Eno”), discloses a system for sterilizing cartons where each carton is sprayed with a sterilization formula of hydrogen peroxide, dried, and then packaged. The Eno reference discloses an extremely limited method, wherein a series of cartons traveling along a conveyor belt are irradiated in order to sterilize the carton's surfaces. Importantly, Eno fails to disclose or suggest a method for sterilizing produce that requires special handling and care so that the produce does not bruise, puncture, or spoil during the process.
Regarding a conveyor system that also helps to dry produce, by removing moisture from produce using suction dryers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,217, issued to Peeters (“Peeters”), discloses a water permeable conveyer belt for such a purpose. Peeters' water permeable conveyor belt, however, requires shaking the produce, and in some embodiments, rotating the produce to complete the drying process effectively. Movements like those disclosed in Peeters are likely to cause bruising or other mechanical harm to the produce, thereby decreasing the shelf life and salability of the produce.
Additionally, a limited number of methods of sanitizing produce using the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® are currently available, however they are very limited in scope. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,568, issued to Murch (“Murch”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,527, issued to Roselle (“Roselle”), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,466, issued to Ford (“Ford”), each disclose such a method. Murch merely discloses a method of sanitizing the food by keeping the anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® solution on the produce for at least about five minutes. Roselle discloses a method wherein the solution that sanitizes the food, also removes a waxy buildup and maintains a basic pH level that is greater than 9.5. Ford discloses a method to sanitize and package moisture-rich foods, like meats, wherein the main concern is controlling the food's natural lactic acid. The anionic surfactant and organic acid sanitizer composition PRO-SAN® sprayed on the packaged food slows spoiling, while leaving a layer of water on the food. However, none of these methods disclose a stepwise sanitizing process involving a plurality of sanitizing agents. Further, these patents fail to disclose a method that prevents mechanical damage to produce, which increases the food safety and effectiveness of the sanitizing agents. Additionally, each of these references fails to disclose a proper sanitization of RTE produce and leaves a distinct opening in the art for such an invention.
Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a method of disinfecting and sanitizing produce that does not cause mechanical harm to the produce, which yields packaged, Ready-To-Eat, fresh looking, and safe-to-eat produce.